Live from the New York International Auto Show

April 02, 2013|Jim MacPherson, On The Road

The 2013 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) held its press days last week, which are always interesting. This year’s introductions were mobbed by members of the media, manufacturers’ representatives and public relations staffers.

Anyone with any memory of previous NYIAS press day introductions all agreed that there were many more attendees this year than last year. Attendance was noticeably sparse three years ago, as the industry was suffering from sluggish sales and manufacturers were in disarray. This year, it was standing room only for about two-thirds of the attendees, just one more sign of a recovering economy.

Press days are devoted to new model unveilings and presentations, with speeches from industry executives that are often read from teleprompters and delivered with a surprising level of rigidity. Some companies resort to theatrics to break things up. Kia, showing off the new Soul, the soon-to-arrive upscale Cadenza and the updated Optima, used a group of impressively athletic break dancers with a cameo appearance by the company’s human-powered hamsters to keep our attention at its press conference. Efforts such as these often seem contrived and forced, though Kia’s entertainment managed to avoid this fate.

There were various other approaches designed to grab the attention of auto writers and industry analysts. General Motors resorted to high volume. Really high volume. Almost all the introductions are accompanied by throbbing music with bass powerful enough to be felt as well as heard. Chevrolet highlighted its racing success over the last year with video accompanied by the sounds of the race cars that was painfully loud. To prepare us, Chevrolet handed out ear plugs before the presentation started. They were necessary.

On display was an updated Camaro and the announcement that the Z28, with 500 horsepower, was back.

Jeep did a very nice presentation introducing the new Cherokee. The name "Cherokee" has returned, this time applied to a vehicle that is taking the place of the discontinued Liberty. The new Cherokee arrives later this year and features a nine-speed automatic transmission, a new 3.2-liter version of Chrysler’s impressive V-6 engine and a choice of four trim levels. Of greater importance in today’s market, the Cherokee should deliver fuel economy numbers up to 45 percent better than the vehicle it is replacing.

Making the introduction more memorable were a series of awkwardly angled blocks, all raised to different heights on the stage. As the time came for the Jeep to be driven out from behind the side curtain, the blocks, which already appeared to be a nearly impassible obstacle, rose. The Cherokee, in Trailhawk trim, proceeded to climb to the peak and then partially descend, while stopping at just the right spot for photographers.

In contrast to the many presentations featuring stiffly- read announcements, Hyundai’s president and CEO, John Krafcik, who grew up in Connecticut and delivered The Hartford Courant as youth, smoothly adlibbed his talk. He discussed Hyundai’s redo of the interior of its Equus premium luxury sedan and the new Hyundai Assurance Program. Called Blue Link Connected Care, this emergency and vehicle support service package will be free to Hyundai buyers for three years. The presentation included a brief interview with a Blue Link dispatcher who was able to calm a youthful passenger who was screaming after a non-injury producing fender bender on Halloween. She did this by assuring the boy that help would arrive in time to preserve his opportunity to go trick-or- treating.

While auto show press conferences receive top billing, more valuable information often comes from personal contact with industry representatives who are willing to speak candidly, often off the record. They describe an industry pulled in two directions. On one side is the increasing influence of female customers, interested in fuel economy, safety and reliability, as well as government regulations pushing for these same objectives. On the other side is the traditional performance market. Small and predominantly male, it, too, vies for limited resources when it comes to designing new models. Based on this year’s auto show, it would seem that the first group is coming out ahead, but the second group has not given up.